Dear Ted:

Catherine Hardwicke drives me nuts! Every time she talks about Robert Pattinson or Kristen Stewart or anything Twilight it just feels like she is trying to stay relevant in the world and they’re the ticket to do that. Am I wrong? Not to mention that maybe the Twilight script did suck before the rewrite (and some parts after—even though I’m a Twi-hard, I can admit it!), but I have to say her directing set the tone for the movies and I think she might have effed that up a bit!
—Ali

Dear Agree to Disagree:

We asked Catherine about Rob and Kristen (and we often do, as Cathy’s one of the few folks who know Robsten who likes to speak plainly and on the record), so give her a break there. Also, I actually think Twilight, the first installment is the second-best of the franchise, after the latest. Hardwicke got the heart of the story dead-on.

3. Don’t abuse your new power.

Ascending to the upper echelons of fame can be exhilarating, but don’t let all the new attention go to your head. In an interview with Ellen Degeneres, Robert Pattinson admitted he once used his intense Edward Cullen power for evil during a fan signing event. “You kind of get ten seconds with each person and you never really say anything… I kind of got bored,” he explained. When one female fan asked Pattinson “how can I get your attention?” Pattinson jokingly asked her to take her clothes off. Rookie mistake, RPattz.

“She stood there and frantically started taking her clothes off and got dragged out of the room by security,” Pattinson revealed. “I never felt more terrible… I sound like I’m actually just abusing my position.” Don’t forget that with great power comes great responsibility.

Read the rest HERE!

On a commentary track included on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ Blu-ray (Summit Entertainment, $34; also on DVD, $30; in stores Saturday), director Bill Condon addresses the disproportionate hatred the series seems to inspire in critics. “This series is about things women care about and has a woman at the center,” he says. “So there are people who just stay outside of it and mock it.”

And boy, do they mock it. A quick scan of reviews on rottentomatoes.com offers the following tidbits: “Director Bill Condon, prostituting himself, flirts with teen porn.” “A freak show of bodily trauma, with a great gooey gob of pedophilia slapped on the end.” “A freakish hybrid: Part medical horror, part cheesy Victoria’s Catalogue shoot.” “It’s like ‘Roadhouse’ for women.”

There is a supplicant tone coursing through a lot of these reviews – “Please don’t go see this movie!” – and there is bafflement and frustration, too, over what “Twilight” fans could possibly love about these films. Condon’s informative commentary provides some answers. He talks a lot, for example, about the great pressure he felt to get Bella and Edward’s wedding just right, so as to not disappoint readers of Stephenie Meyer’s novels. Helicopters buzzed the set during the filming of that scene, paparazzi hoping to snap a photo of Bella’s wedding dress, which had been kept under tight wraps. When Condon points out the specific shots that show off the gown in detail, they will seem like a revelation to many viewers, especially men: The first time I watched the movie, I had absolutely no idea I was supposed to be paying attention to that dress.

This is typical of the great divide between audiences and critics regarding “Twilight” movies. Even though “Breaking Dawn” earned the most scathing reviews of all the films in the franchise, it still grossed more than $700 million worldwide (“Twilight”-mania cuts across cultural and language barriers). Those numbers indicate there is obviously something at work in “Twilight” that goes far beyond Team Jacob and Team Edward mania. And a lot of men just don’t get it or are unwilling to put any effort into understanding it, opting instead to wonder how is it biologically possible for a vampire to impregnate a woman (news flash: vampires aren’t real!) or take more potshots at the hidden messages Meyer snuck into her books, subtexts that simply aren’t present in the movies.

Tellingly, some of “Breaking Dawn’s” strongest supporters – The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Carrie Rickey, Movieline’s Stephanie Zacharek, The New York Daily News’ Elizabeth Weitzman – were women. I don’t mean to suggest that all female critics liked the movie (Dana Stevens’ excellent takedown of the film on Slate.com is a must-read). But the most eloquent defenses of “Breaking Dawn” were written by women, because the movie is an all-too-rare breed of international blockbuster: A big-budget extravaganza, replete with monsters and special effects (1,400 of them, according to Condon), told exclusively through a female gaze. Whatever you may think of the final product (I hated “New Moon” and “Eclipse”), these films deserve a more thoughtful reception than they are being given.

Condon’s commentary highlights aspects of “Breaking Dawn” you might not have noticed, such as the way he uses Carter Burwell’s score to emphasize the emotions of the characters instead of the action transpiring onscreen (the music during the bloody birth sequence is not the sort most movies would use during such a horrific moment). The director shares bits of meaningless but amusing trivia (Kristin Stewart could play dead without blinking her eyes or taking a breath for 90 seconds at a time), talks about how he sneaked certain things past the ratings board (I didn’t realize Bella’s back snaps in half as she’s going into labor until Condon pointed out the shot), explains why a scene that was highlighted in the trailers didn’t make the final cut and talks about the trims that were made to the sex scene in order to secure an R.

Those scenes are not included on the Blu-ray (although there is a feature-length documentary titled “Love, Death, Birth” about the making of the film, shot in HD, that will be catnip for fans). The deleted footage will no doubt make its way onto a longer “director’s cut” of “Breaking Dawn,” which Condon says will eventually be available. Just because the final chapter in the “Twilight” saga arrives in theaters this November doesn’t mean the series is going to vanish from popular culture.

Deal with it, haters

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Twihards will now be tingling, tittering and trying to get their hands on the latest instalment of The Twilight Saga for home viewing. Yes indeed, Friday is a momentous day. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 debuts on DVD and Blu-ray.

Regardless of what critics think — and this overwrought and intellectually undernourished movie has been almost universally condemned as wretched and dreary — core fans don’t give a damn. Their many millions include mother-and-daughter duos who argue endlessly about Team Edward (Robert Pattinson) vs. Team Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

Together, both factions have pushed the overall boxoffice for romance writer Stephenie Meyer’s blood-sucking vampire franchise to staggering levels. Each new instalment maintains the pace. Part 1 of the Breaking Dawn finale ranks second in the series.

According to Box Office Mojo, the worldwide boxoffice numbers are: Twilight at $392.6 in 2008; New Moon at $710 million in 2009; Eclipse at $698.5 million in 2010; and Breaking Dawn – Part 1 at $701.9 million in 2011. The total is just above $2.5 billion. Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which is set for release on Nov. 16, is guaranteed to push that well past $3 billion. Meanwhile, billions are being spent on DVDs and Blu-rays.

While I am not a fan of the flicks, credit where credit is due. The home entertainment divisions at Summit Entertainment and Entertainment One do a marvellous job of giving Twihards a complete and thorough package of bonus materials. That applies to both formats. The DVD has the same extensive menu of extras as the Blu-ray. This is impressive at a time when many studios strip extras off DVDs to nudge consumers towards Blu-rays, which are usually loaded.

As for the movie itself, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is well presented on both DVD and Blu-ray. The Blu-ray’s high definition obviously makes it pop, although that also means the hideous makeup on the Cullen clan members looks even weirder and Kristen Stewart’s horror-baby scenes look even more gross.

Makeup aside, on a purely technical basis, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is the best-made of the four movies so far. With new director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), and working with a healthy budget, the movie at least can boast it brought back great images from shoots in British Columbia, Louisiana, Brazil and the Caribbean. The laughable sequences are all about dialogue, especially when the Wolf Pack gets together for an angry palaver.

In contrast, the wedding of Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen on Aug. 13, 2011, is a lavish affair that is inspiring copycat wedding plans among Twihards. “We had the biggest wedding since Charles and Diana,” says production designer Richard Sherman. A mock wedding video runs eight minutes. You also briefly meet dress designer Carolina Herrera in the making-of documentary, a massive six-parter that runs 87 minutes (just 30 minutes shy of the movie).

This doc is ominously entitled Love, Death, Birth, which tells you exactly what Breaking Dawn is about. On DVD, you can watch it separately. On Blu-ray, you have the option of activating it either as a stand-alone or as a series of picture-in-picture segments.

Lautner gets his own breakout featurette, Jacob’s Destiny. Separately, an unusual (although not quite unique) option allows viewers to instantly jump to their favourite sequences in the movie. For example, if you want to re-watch every Wolf Pack moment, they will run together without the rest of the movie clogging it up. So Team Jacob members can roll with Lautner, either in his human form or as a werewolf. His fans get a howlingly good time.

mention @2:35

@Team_Jack

The BD is now the Target exclusive, with the set decoration flowers from the wedding garland. (JM) http://pic.twitter.com/yNnoUI5T

Another and that’s it for now – you won’t believe how beautiful the BD one is when you open it and I’m not spoiling! http://pic.twitter.com/q644w2XC

Okay one more… (JM) http://pic.twitter.com/2sdD9iIM

@CarboV tweeted a question to Team Jack,

@Team_Jack y? will u give me something about what we gonna see in the BD2 sneak peek? pretty please with cherries on top? Jack the great?

Jack Morrisey responded,

@CarboV Bella and Edward. (JM)

mention at 1:18

Best Valentine’s Day Romantic Movie
————————————-
1. The Notebook 22%
2. Titanic 18%
3. Sleepless in Seattle 16%
4. Twilight 12%
5. Crazy Stupid Love 12%
6. The Proposal 12%
7. Valentine’s Day 9%

Dream Male Celebrity Date:
———————————
1. George Clooney 19%
2. Johnny Depp 18%
3. Matthew McConaughey 16%
4. Ryan Gosling 7%
5. Ryan Reynolds 7%
6. Usher 8%
7. Brad Pitt 7%
8. Bradley Cooper 5%
9. Taylor Lautner 4%
10. Zac Efron 2%
11. Robert Pattinson 2%
12. Adam Levine 2%
13. Jimmy Fallon 2%

Dream Male Celebrity Date (among
gay/bi-sexual men):
————————————
1. Ryan Gosling 20%
2. Johnny Depp 16%
3. Ryan Reynolds 13%
4. Taylor Lautner 9%
5. Bradley Cooper 8%
6. Zac Efron 7%
7. Adam Levine 5%
8. Brad Pitt 5%
9. George Clooney 4%
10. Usher 4%
11. Jimmy Fallon 3%
12. Matthew McConaughey 3%
13. Robert Pattinson 3%

David Cronenberg, a 19th century police detective and flesh-eating zombies have helped Ontario’s film and television industry reap a record $1.26-billion for the provincial economy last year.

The figures mark a 31% increase or $300 million from the previous year and are the best results recorded since the Ontario Media Development Corporation started gathering data in 1986.

The real success story, Karen Thorne-Stone, president and CEO of the corporation, said Tuesday, is that domestic production accounts for almost 70% of all activity. She cited the success of home-grown television shows such as the police dramas Flashpoint and Murdoch Mysteries.

“It means we have stability in the system and our talents in front and behind the cameras are employed,” she said after delivering a lunch-time speech at The Economic Club of Canada.

The figures, which were released Tuesday, also show a 165% increase in domestic feature film spending, thanks in part to Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis and Resident Evil: Retribution (its predecessor, Resident Evil: Afterlife, is Canada’s top-grossing film, having taken in $300-million worldwide).

Canada’s film industry has boomed over the last decade or so as foreigner took advantage of the sagging Canadian dollar. But for years, folks in so-called Hollywood North feared that the opportunities would dry up once the dollar came closer to par with the U.S. dollar.

“Ontario is no longer the discount location,” Thorne-Stone said. “People are coming here because we have quality, reliability and world-class talent … Even as we watched the Canadian dollar rise, to notice that the phone is still ringing and projects are still coming, that’s very heartening.”

Toronto competes with Los Angeles, New York, London and Vancouver when attracting large productions. Donna Zuchlinski, the corporation’s film commissioner, said the low dollar helped the develop the infrastructure and the crews in the province. “But as the crews matured and the infrastructure grew, it was the reputation that we had that superseded where the dollar was at,” she added.

She pointed to resources such as Pinewood Toronto Studios, the largest studio complex in the country which accommodates big blockbuster movies, and the province’s leadership in 3D technology; films such as Tron, Harry Potter and Twilight: Breaking Dawn came to Ontario for post-production and visual effects work.

“If you look at A Dangerous Method for example, you might not think there is any CGI element to it at all but we did tons of work here in Toronto on getting the look of that period of Western Europe right through CG enhancements,” said Martin Katz, the Toronto-based producer of Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method. “As each part of the industry grows, it helps to shoehorn other parts of the industry.”

In comparison to Ontario’s film industry, Vancouver historically has received more foreign productions than Canadian-based work, making it more vulnerable to the rises and falls of the dollar. However, Susan Croome, BC Film Commissioner, said last year was “a solid year” in B.C. with blockbusters such as the latest Mission Impossible and Superman films being filmed in the province.

“Canada is recognized as being a very stable, safe place to do business,” she said. “Clients want to go with a sure bet with high quality and people who deliver on our promises.”

The B.C. Film Commission will release its numbers later this month.

BY THE NUMBERS

$165.9-million The contribution to the economy from domestic feature film production in 2011 due to co-productions such as Resident Evil: Retribution, Foxfire, Cosmopolis and Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

$231.6-million The amount reaped from foreign feature film production. While the number of foreign feature films dropped slightly, budgets were larger including two of the biggest films ever shot in Ontario: Total Recall and Pacific Rim.

$626.7-million The contribution from domestic television series including Rookie Blue, The Firm and The L.A. Complex, shows which were also picked up by U.S. networks.

25% The Ontario Production Services Tax Credit which includes all eligible Ontario production costs

Source

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the April 2011 issue. Styled by Jessica Diehl.

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